Injury fears allayed

Last updated : 07 November 2003 By Martyn Elliott

Robert limped out of the action in the closing stages, but JJ was injured in bizarre circumstances shortly before kick off.

"You wouldn't believe this, he went into the gents and bent down and suddenly he was in seizure,” explained Sir Bobby.

"He couldn't move and at that stage, he was out of the team.

"We had to have a discussion as to what to do to replace him.

"Just before the warm-up, it was decided that he couldn't play, but we stuck ice on his stomach and manipulated it and it got better and better.

"But with 40 minutes to go to kick-off, he was out of the team, so he's done very well to play."

Please feel free to insert your own puns into the story at this point!

As for the in-form Frenchman, he told the Evening Chronicle: "I was just a little tired at the end but there is no problem and I will be OK for the Chelsea game on Sunday.

"They are one of the best teams in Europe but so are we and it will be a tough game for two teams, not just one."

On the subject of Robert, he regularly comes in for some stick on these pages so it only seems fair to mention how much we’re enjoying his current goalscoring run and his newfound ability to perform away from St James’ Park.